John Franklin Carter a.k.a. Jay Franklin a.k.a. Diplomat a.k.a. Unofficial Observer (1897–1967) was an American journalist, columnist, biographer and novelist. He notably wrote the syndicated column, "We the People", under his pen name Jay Franklin. He wrote over 30 books on a variety of subjects, including his detective novels about the character Dennis Tyler. In his column, he was one of the few who predicted
Truman's victory in the
1948 presidential election.
Biography
Carter was born in
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state.
Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...
on April 27, 1897, as one of seven children of The Rev. John Franklin Carter. He attended
Yale University
Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...
, where he served as chairman of campus humor magazine ''
The Yale Record
''The Yale Record'' is the campus humor magazine of Yale University. Founded in 1872, it became the oldest humor magazine in the world when ''Punch'' folded in 2002."History", The Yale Record, March 10, 2010. http://www.yalerecord.com/about/histo ...
''
He left Yale early to serve as a representative of the Williamstown Institute of Politics in Italy. Afterwards, he became the
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
correspondent for the ''
London Daily Chronicle'' and the ''
New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
''.
In 1928, Carter began working for the
State Department as an economic specialist.
He then became a correspondent for the magazines ''
Liberty
Liberty is the ability to do as one pleases, or a right or immunity enjoyed by prescription or by grant (i.e. privilege). It is a synonym for the word freedom.
In modern politics, liberty is understood as the state of being free within society fr ...
'' and ''
Vanity Fair''.
In 1941, Carter was appointed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to conduct investigation into the loyalty of Japanese American communities on the West Coast of the United States. Carter hired
Curtis B. Munson to compile the
Report on Japanese on the West Coast of the United States.
He wrote the syndicated column, "We, The People" from 1936 to 1948 under his pen name "Jay Franklin". It chronicled the
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (; ; January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), often referred to by his initials FDR, was an American politician and attorney who served as the 32nd president of the United States from 1933 until his death in 1945. As the ...
and
Truman Administrations.
In 1948, Carter worked as a speech writer for
Harry S. Truman
Harry S. Truman (May 8, 1884December 26, 1972) was the 33rd president of the United States, serving from 1945 to 1953. A leader of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 34th vice president from January to April 1945 under Franklin ...
.
Carter died in
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, on November 28, 1967, at the age of 70. His books ''The New Dealers'' (1934) and ''American Messiahs'' (1935) remain valuable sources for historians of the New Deal era.
Works
Detective novels written as "Diplomat"
* ''Murder in the Embassy'' (1930)
* ''Murder in the State Department'' (1930)
* ''Scandal in the Chancery'' (1931)
* ''The Corpse on the White House Lawn'' (1932)
* ''Death in the Senate'' (1933)
* ''Slow Death at Geneva'' (1934)
* ''The Brain Trust Murder'' (1935)
Partial list of other novels
* ''
The Rat Race'' (1950)
* ''Champagne Charlie'' (1950)
Political Narrative written as "Unofficial Observer"
* ''The New Dealers'' (1934)
* ''American Messiahs'' (1935)
Non-fiction
*
Remaking America'. Boston,
Houghton Mifflin Company, 1942. Also available fro
Hathi Trust
References
*
*
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*Simkin, John
''
Spartacus Educational
Spartacus Educational is a free online encyclopedia with essays and other educational material on a wide variety of historical subjects principally British history from 1700 and the history of the United States.
Based in the United Kingdom, Spart ...
''. Retrieved 2018-06-06.
*
For more on Carter's role in war-time intelligence, see
*
External links
John Franklin Carter papersat the
University of Wyoming
The University of Wyoming (UW) is a public land-grant research university in Laramie, Wyoming. It was founded in March 1886, four years before the territory was admitted as the 44th state, and opened in September 1887. The University of Wyoming ...
-
American Heritage Center
The American Heritage Center is the University of Wyoming's repository of manuscripts, rare books, and the university archives. Its collections focus on Wyoming
Wyoming () is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United ...
John Franklin Carter correspondenceat the Franklin D. Roosevelt Library, Hyde Park, NY and online via U.S. Archives
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Carter, John Franklin
1897 births
1967 deaths
20th-century American novelists
American male biographers
American columnists
American fantasy writers
American male novelists
American mystery writers
American science fiction writers
People from Fall River, Massachusetts
Novelists from Massachusetts
20th-century American biographers
20th-century American male writers